For this picture
Nair Militia
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"Honour and gallantry! Love and battle! My sword and my mistress! These were their devices and they were ticklish sticklers for the point of honour "
Origin
Nairs are perhaps of Naga descent or perhaps with Scythians otherwise called in India as Saka. The Saka invaded India around 200 BC. The Nairi people of Central Asia with their Mittanian Aryan rulers were defeated and assimilated by the Scythians around 600 BC. Scythians were a martial people of central Asia who often went for long raiding trips against the cities of Persia and other Hindu nations of then Afghanistan. Scythians practiced Matriarchy, Polyandry and Slavery. Nairis were a sub group of Scythians. Nairi surname exists among many people from North India Nayyars, Nehrajats and Nepalese Newars. Nairs of Kerala also may have Nairi blood who had mixed with the Nagas of Ahichatra. Nairs were Nagas from Ahichatra, not ethnic Tamils. Nairs appeared in Kerala History very late only by the end of first Millennium after the repeated attacks and occupation of Kerala by Rashtrakuta forces. Nairs perhaps never talked Tamil but the Prakrit or some other Aryan tongue. Nairs did mix with few Dravidian clans including Vellalas. The arrival of Nairs led to the mixture of Tamil with Prakrit and Sanskrit words converting the language to Malayalam. In the early period of Dravidian History Nagas were regarded as the worst enemies of ancient Tamils and Nagas were not related to Dravidians.
Training:
Nairs were trained in martial arts form of Kalaripayattu. Both men and women were trained in swords and arrows. Their specialization was in a long sword called urumi.
Family life - matrilenial polyandry were women were free to marry as many men as they want. This helped men to be less attached to family and leave them in free possession of military spirit.
In giovanni Maffei's descripton of calicut he gives the description of their training:
From age of seven or so he says they begin their physical training under highly skilled masters. They can twist and turn as if they had no bones. Expert wrestlers but more proficient in weapons. They dont wear any weapons and their greatest protection was flight. For they flee and reappear in a flash.if necessity comples they engage in hand to hand combant they do most of the killing.
Pyrard de Laval thought they were the best soldiers in the world(1887) and exceptionally agile. Baldaeus states they were the best Wrestlers in the world who can give a salvo in same order as the best forces of Europe but they go in to war in disorder nor in rank or step.
De La Bourdonnais who capture Mahe for French in 1725." They have no calling but military and would be excellent soldiers if disciplined but they take fligh on least pressure but if they know they are in danger they return to the offensive and never surrender"
British General Sir Hector Munroe (9th commander in chief of india):
"One may as well look for needle in a Bottle of Hay as any of them in the daytime,they being lurking behind sand banks and bushes except when we are marching towards the Fort,and then they appear like bees out in the month of June. Besides they point well and fire their guns well also.
They go in to battle drugged with Opium.
Demise:
After the war with Tipoo, The company had rightly understood the potentiality and calibre of Nair Militia who engaged in gurilla warefare for nearly a quarter of century against the Mysorean conquerors. Thus the destruction of military character was a political necessity for company to elimiate all kinds of possible upheavals against their authority. They forced Nairs to return their weapons for land and encouraged them to be land administrators.
They abolished kalaris and made it illegal to carry swords
Travancore still had good amount of Nair soldiers who were disposed off by Marthanda varam and later by velu thampi dalawa. The nair chiefs met a horrific end with the leaders torn off by elephants. Once they were off the king lost all his voice against the British.
